Another Fallen Hero

Friday 6 Aug,

My day started off at 3:15 am when I got up to participate in a Ramp Ceremony for a Fallen "Kiwi" Soldier. The Kiwi is the national bird of New Zealand, and their soldiers here like to be called the Kiwi's. Anyway, I was paying my last respects to the New Zealand detachment here who experienced their very first soldier killed in AFG so far (and first in battle since 2002). I got to know some of their team here this past year, and even though this particular soldier was from a FOB out in the West (and I did not know him personally), I wanted to be there and salute his casket and pay my respects. His body was flown here to be loaded on an Air Force plane bound for home. [If you want to get a good feel for how the military takes care of and honors their Fallen Heroes, watch the movie, Taking Chance, with Kevin Bacon. It's a well done and moving film about a Marine killed in action and the process of getting his body home to his family]. There were about 200 American Army and Air Force personnel who came out at 0400 hrs to honor the Kiwi's and their Hero. It was pretty special. If you've been following my blog since the beginning of my year here, you will remember my own Unit had a Soldier KIA just 16 days into the deployment. So I experienced a Ramp Ceremony from a personal level last November. It is probably fitting that I attend another one right here at the end of my stay as well.

It was also a hard day for a separate reason, too. I had to deal with a personal issue today that has been building up for a few months -- and one that I should have dealt with long ago. I prayed about it for a week and then got quite a bit of advice and support from my peers and leadership, so I know I did the right thing. But it was still hard. The Army has forced me to step out of my comfort zone on a number of occassions, which is always difficult. But I believe God uses these experiences to stretch us and change us and help us grow. It is always for God's glory, but also for my benefit as well. Sometimes it's hard to see that in the midst of the trial, but God's purposes always prevail! You can bank on that.

I will preach my final sermon here this weekend. It will be a weird feeling to say goodbye to some of the people I have met and worked with at the chapels here over the last 10 months. One constant here is change, and everyone eventually goes home, but you never think your time will get here. Well now it is, and I will get to ride off into the sunset (so to speak) real soon.

And finally, I am attaching a few extra pictures this time. One is of the awards ceremony we held for our Advanced Party team. We already sent a handful of soldiers ahead of us back to the USA to accompany the equipment and to help get the housing and details ready for us when we all hit the de-Mobilization site in Texas. The picture is of my buddy, SSG Flores, getting his award. He is saluting our Colonel and Sergeant Major. And the final two are snapshots of a few posters I saw that were meaningful to me this year (including one of Bill Mauldin's famous cartoons from WWII, this one with a Chaplain. Notice the guy's helmet up front).

I am going to try to do one more blog early next week. But if not, this may be my last one from Afghanistan!